Woodland pupils to start proving residency yearly

Anti-fraud policy is bid to cut expenses

Woodland School District 50 will require parents to verify their pupils' place of residency annually in a move to save the Gurnee-based elementary school district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Last year, officials discovered 60 pupils enrolled at Woodland schools who lived outside district boundaries, costing the district more than $575,000, at $9,647 per pupil, Supt. Joy Swoboda said.

Once pupils begin attending a school, state law requires those children be allowed to finish the year in the district, regardless of whether their address has changed, she said.

"Our community is made up of seven different towns, and we're quite large, so we felt this was an appropriate undertaking, just to be sure the children are where they belong and that we are supporting the residents in our district who pay taxes," Swoboda said.

Officials have alerted parents through mailings and are prepared for about 5,000 families to verify residency from Aug. 20 through Aug. 24 at Woodland Middle School, 7000 Washington St., Gurnee, officials said.

The process requires parents to provide a utility bill from the prior 60 days and driver's license or state ID with current address. Renters must show a copy of their leases, and families who are not renters or homeowners must complete a residency affidavit and have the form notarized.

Gurnee School District 56 and Warren Township High School District 121 already require similar proof of residency every year. For Woodland School District 50 -- which enrolls more than 7,000 pupils and is the seventh-largest elementary school district in the state -- the new method is a huge undertaking that officials hope to refine, officials said.

"We really are taking this very seriously," said Jennifer Tempest Bova, district spokeswoman, adding that parents will be asked to evaluate the process. "This will be an annual tradition."

Besides Gurnee, the district includes parts of Grayslake, Wildwood, Wadsworth, Lake Villa, Waukegan, Libertyville and a few smaller communities.

In previous years, families proved residency only once, when first enrolling pupils in the district. After that, they were allowed to register by mail, making it easier for parents to lie about their children's residency by failing to change the address when they moved.

Those who deceive the district most likely want their children to continue at a school where they started or are unhappy with the district they reside in, officials said.

During the proof-of-residency event, parents will receive school, class and bus information, pay fees and receive information regarding the PTA and Woodland Educational Foundation. This also is expected to save money on mailings that the district had sent out before, Swoboda said.

She said she is not sure how many out-of-district pupils on average enroll in the district, having reviewed only last year's figure. The estimated $578,820 spent to educate the 60 extra pupils came out of the district's $57 million operating fund, she said. The costs to check residency are minimal when compared with the price tag for educating out-of district pupils, she said.

A Warren Township High School official agreed, saying as an example that it would cost the district more than $40,000 to educate four additional students.

"It's just a responsible thing to do," said Warren spokeswoman Carolyn Waller. "It's all about trying to protect local tax dollars."